Derrick Rose showed flashes of his MVP form in the USA's exhibition win over Brazil. / David Banks, USA TODAY Sports

by Nancy Armour, USA TODAY Sports

by Nancy Armour, USA TODAY Sports

CHICAGO - Derrick Rose drove the length of the court and banked a one-handed layup in off the glass as the United Center crowd let out a roar.

Just like old times.

Playing his first game in nine months, Rose was, understandably, rusty in Team USA's 95-78 rout of Brazil on Saturday night.

But he also showed flashes of the brilliance that won him the 2011 MVP and made him one of the NBA's most exciting players.

"It's a step-by-step process. He's steadily getting better," said Tom Thibodeau, a U.S. assistant and Rose's coach with the Chicago Bulls. "I love the way he's playing. He's showing some rust. But his explosiveness is back and he's playing well on both sides of the ball."

Thibodeau doesn't give praise lightly. So what he said is great news for the Bulls and Team USA, which is scrambling to adapt after Kevin Durant's surprise announcement last week that he was withdrawing from the team because he was physically and mentally exhausted.

The U.S. offense was - no surprise - supposed to be focused around the NBA MVP, and coach Mike Krzyzewski now has to find other options with only two weeks before the Americans begin FIBA World Cup play in Bilbao, Spain. Anthony Davis looks like a pretty good back-up plan, finishing with 20 points, eight rebounds and five blocks.

James Harden added 18 and Klay Thompson had 10, including a monster 3 at the start of the fourth quarter after Brazil had cut the U.S. lead to 68-63. Thompson's 3 sparked a 12-2 U.S. run that put the game away.

Tiago Splitter had 16 points, one of four Brazil players in double figures. Rafael Hettsheimeir had 13, all in the second half.

"I'm pleased with our team," Krzyzewski said. "We've had a lot of interruptions. The one thing that hasn't been interrupted is our effort. ... To play an organized team, an outstanding team like Brazil the way we did tonight is really encouraging."

But the biggest story was Rose's return.

He has played in 10 games over the past two NBA seasons because of two serious knee injuries. He missed the entire 2012-13 season after tearing his left ACL in April 2012, then sat out the rest of last season after tearing the medial meniscus in his right knee Nov. 22.

"It's unfortunate what he's gone through," Thibodeau said. "But that adversity has made him stronger."

And maybe a better basketball player.

Though Rose was always quick, he said he has learned how to harness that quickness so he is playing under control. That showed on that layup at the end of the first half, when he kissed the ball off the glass despite never taking his foot off the gas. He hasn't lost any of his explosiveness, evidenced as he elevated over Anderson Varejao for a left-handed layup in the third quarter.

And his conditioning is so good after his relentless work in rehab that he didn't even realize he'd played the entire third quarter.

"I felt good," Rose said. "I think everybody was excited and it was cool. At the same time, I can't get big-headed."

Rose did whiff on a dunk attempt, but some rust is to be expected. And it hardly mattered to the sellout crowd at the United Center. Many fans wore his No. 1 Bulls jersey, and they responded with a deafening roar and chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!" when he was introduced.

When Rose took the mic to thank fans before the game on behalf of USA Basketball, he had to wait almost 30 seconds as the crowd gave him a standing ovation. Fans cheered whenever he touched the ball, and they chanted, "We want Rose! We want Rose!" when he was on the bench with less than six minutes to play.

"You could tell how much the fans love him," Stephen Curry said. "He kind of kept a straight face all night. But you know it meant a lot to him."